'Yellowman' a familiar sight in Hanover

Harold J. Watt's house is bright yellow, and his mission in life is to “show a brighter light on this earth.”

Fred Hanson The Patriot Ledger @Fhanson_Ledger

HANOVER – He is Harold Watt Jr., but few know him by that name. They know him as “Yellowman.”

Why does he like yellow so much.

“Yellow is happiness and sunshine,” Watt said.

His bright yellow house with a sign “The Big Top” in front stands out amid the commercial sprawl of Route 53, with an eclectic collection of things he’s picked up along the way in the yard.

With his long gray beard, Watt is a familiar sight along Route 53, picking up bottles and cans along the roadside and clearing trash in parking lots, one of the odd jobs he does. He says he uses the money he makes to help others.

And after dark, he can be spotted showing off his dance moves in local bars.

“Best I can do is dance, rap and sing,” he said.

Watt, 70, said he helped his father build the house a half-century ago. He grew up in Braintree, and said he worked in scrap yards in in Quincy.

During an interview on the front yard of his home, Watt was wanted to talk more about his philosophy than his life story.

“I’m going to shine a brighter light on this earth,” he said. “Everyone thinks I’m nuts and I’m crazy, but I’m happy.”

Watt said he doesn’t drink, smoke or use drugs.

There are several religious statues in the yard, including one of Jesus wearing a cloak painted – what else, yellow. The hands were broken off, something Watt concealed by putting a boxing glove over one hand and a regular glove on the other. One arm held a souvenir wind chime of the San Francisco Victorian houses.

“I spruced him up a bit,” Watt said. “I like to make things bright and different.”

There are also a couple of lawn mowers stashed under the body of a yellow pickup truck, a large yellow cross with a plastic Christmas wreath attached, and containers with returnable bottles and cans and other items in the yard.

Watt said he finds the items by the side of the road, and considers them a windfall.

“This is my world. I want to be left alone in it and help people,” he said. “If you’re happy, you’ve got it all.”

The town has recently started proceedings to get Watt to clean-up his yard, something it has done in the past. Watt has said he will comply.

Watt said he wants to stay on his property forever. When he dies, Watt said he wants to be buried in the yard, facing east towards the rising sun.